4.1 Introduction
4.2.5 Maintenance of school ethos
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meetings attendance registers. Viewed from the social identity theory, the findings display number of important features such as group behaviours found in an organisation relate to conformity and socio-cognitive of individuals in a particular context (Tajfel & Turner, 1979).
The findings showed that the majority of the participants are not happy with the relationship between the school and the parents as it suggests that such relationships are not conducive.
Some participants are happy with the relationship between the school and parents which suggests that parents understand their roles in supporting the schools.
The following theme discusses how the schools maintain their ethos.
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Other participants believed that by having a school year planner was what reminded them of the school ethos. For example, Mr Sikhulu the post level 1 teacher of Lokishini Secondary School was on the participants who believe in a year planner as means to ensure that the school ethos prevails. Mr Sikhulu stated:
School year planner guide us and maintain our school ethos, that is where we list things we need to do and keep on reminding ourselves by looking at the year planner
(Mr Sikhulu, post level 1 teacher of Lokishini Secondary School).
Being a happy school and doing things together was also highlighted by some of the participants as a mechanism that ensures that its ethos prevails. Citing Mrs Nodlula the principal of Toyi Primary School as one of those participants who believed in happiness as mechanism that enhanced the school ethos. She explained:
By keeping ourselves happy and making the school a happy environment. We make sure that every small thing that may not matter to somebody else we do celebrate and enjoy
(Mrs Nodlula, principal of Toyi Primary School).
Elaborating further as to how they keep the school a happy environment, Mrs Nodlula mentioned the following:
Keeping our school ethos burning, we organised Valentine’s Day functions where learners chose Miss Valentine and Mr Valentine, we also have spring day celebrations where everybody comes in dressed in floral dresses and hats, and we surprised teachers with special lunch
(Mrs Nodlula, principal of Toyi Primary School).
Caring and communication was what other participants believed to be a mechanism that ensured that the school ethos prevails. Mr Bell the principal of Mshini Secondary School was the one of the participants who strongly believed in pastoral caring in his school. Mr Bell had the following to say:
School ethos is nurtured, maintained daily, we live, breath, walk and embody through caring, effective communication. For example, if someone in our school it could be a
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learners or staff member was sick, a delegation of us would visit that individual to give moral support
(Mr Bell, principal of Mshini Secondary School).
Likewise, Mrs Thobeka, the post level 1 teacher of Hloba Primary School stated:
Caring and communication within the school and community by following our vision and mission statement are the ways that makes us work towards the same goal and to ensure that our school ethos triumphs
(Mrs Thobeka, post level 1 teacher of Hloba Primary School).
The participants who mentioned code of conduct as a mechanism to ensure that the school ethos prevails have copies of the Code of Conduct for learners and teachers. These policies were availed to me, and looking at what was stipulated in those documents and the practices of the schools there was synergy. This suggests that the responses of the participants corroborate with the policies the schools have as a mechanism to maintain school ethos. This suggest that the schools that have policies in place are able to run smooth and effectively. I have noticed when perusing the documents at Lokishini Secondary School, there was only a Code of Conduct for learners and the one for teachers was not available. This means that what the principal mentioned during our discussion is not fully confirmed in terms of the policies when referring to how the school maintains the school ethos. This means that the school still has a missing link in terms of policies that can cover the whole school. In the school staff room at Lokishini Secondary School there was a year planner which was full of dates of activities such as assessment plans, sports activities and social activities for learners and teachers. This evidence confirms what Mr Sikhulu, post level 1 teacher of Lokishini Secondary School mentioned during our discussion when he stated that they follow what is on their year planner. This suggests that the school that has a year planner is able to execute activities without any delay what they list in their year planner.
Referring to caring, when perusing the school documents at Mshini Secondary School the minutes of the staff meeting dated 23 October 2014 there was delegation of staff members who volunteered to visit the child that was critically sick in the local hospital. Moreover, in the same minutes of the staff meeting mentioned above it showed five staff members who brought clothes for indigent learners. This shows that there are communication channels at the school. In the school’s staff room there was a communication book that the staff used to
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relate information to the management, Representative Council for Learners and to the support staff. Matters in the communication book involve issues like repairs of school property, request for school bus and matters to Teacher Liaison Officer. This corroborates with what Mr Bell, the principal of Mshini Secondary School mentioned when he spoke about caring as something embodied in their school ethos. During my visit at Hloba Primary School, I could not corroborate what Mrs Thobeka mentioned during the semi-structured interview in terms of caring and communication as the mechanism that ensured that the school ethos prevails.
Happy school was what Mrs Nodlula, the principal of Toyi Primary School declared as a mechanism that ensures that school ethos prevails. At the foyer of the school there are lots of pictures displayed where learners and teachers are laughing and joyful. When perusing the documents, the newsletters of the school dated 03 February 2014 was informing the parents that the school was having Valentine’s Day, thus learners had to bring R5-00 on the day.
Furthermore, the foyer of the school has the pictures of Miss Valentine and Mr Valentine 2015. Such event with no doubt simply brings joy and happiness to the life of the learners and the school. This corroborates with what Mrs Nodlula, the principal of Toyi Primary School mentioned during the semi-structured interview. In addition, amongst the documents was the memo from the principal dated 3 October 2014 inviting all teachers for tea after school as commemoration of the teachers’ day. The activities that are conducted at Toyi Primary School suggest that the school tries to ensure that there was an atmosphere of happiness.
The structure that the school follows as a means to ensure that the school ethos prevails is vital so as to sustain the school ethos. The critical part is whatever instrument that is used by the school must be well known to all members of the school. The literature states that for the school to operate and maintain its morals there should be policies in place, thus school’s Code of Conduct functions as yard stick to ensure that schools are able to instil values, norms and rules within its society (Mncube, 2009). The school that focuses and shows more concern on practising school policies in its school culture is able to promote the overall goals, resulting in school effectiveness (Hargreaves, 2001). Self-categorisation theory states that by bringing cooperation into individuals’ behaviour and self- perception into line with the context relevant to the group, transforms individuals into the correct group behaviour (Turner, 1991).
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The findings from the participants suggest that having policies like code of conduct, showing caring, ensuring that the school has a year planner which includes elements of school ethos and communications are the mechanisms that ensures that school ethos prevails.
The following theme focuses on how the schools acknowledge achievements and why is it important to acknowledge achievements.